I found the Coolest Site!

Recently, Becki wrote a post about Freecycling. Well, I found another option that goes hand in hand with that concept. Just another way we can reuse and reduce!

Listia is a unique auction site. They have auctions for free stuff. Users list things they no longer want, like an old stereo. Then other users bid on the item. Not with money though. They use credits. They get credits for signing up, referring friends, or selling their own stuff. How col is that??

As I was browsing there site this morning, I saw some pretty cool stuff up for auction; Panasonic 37-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV, TwitterPeek Mobile Tweeting Device w/ Lifetime Service, and Blu-Ray Movie Xmen 3 The Last Stand Free Shipping. ALL for FREE! They cost users NO money. I am literally in awe. LOL!

As soon as I finish this post I am going to sign up and take advantage of their current promotion of giving away 300 credits free to those who join and list an item! Woot!

Let me know what you think! I mean get free stuff, get rid of unwanted stuff AND help the environment? And…NO catch. LOL! I am loving it!

               

Donating for the Environment

It’s easy to collect a lot of stuff over the years – books, CD’s DVD’s, software, video games – but once you are done using them the question remains as to what you will do with them now? Just throwing away such items is not only wasteful and damaging to our environment (filling up landfills with yet more senseless waste) it is also often times emotionally altering. We become emotionally attached to such things and we don’t want to see our precious possessions just discarded as if they meant nothing. For me the hardest to part with is books – I love books and I know I have so many that I don’t read or even need anymore, but the thought of just throwing them out makes me cringe. Lucky for me, and for everyone else who feels as I do, there are a couple of great options.

Option 1: The Local Library
Most libraries will take used books, CD’s, and DVD’s as donations to be either added to their collections or sold later in book sales to raise funds for library activities and improvements. Donating these items is as easy as just putting them in a bag and delivering them to the circulation desk. You de-clutter your space and help a vital local resource at the same time.

Option 2: EcoEncore.org
I recently discovered a site that allows people to donate books, computer software, video games, CD’s, and DVD’ to go up for auction and the profits from the auction are then used to help along various environmental charities – this site is EcoEncore.org. It is incredibly easy to donate – simply fill out a form and send off the items – and you help a great cause in the process.

Checking out your local paper, chamber of commerce, churches, or environmental groups is also a good way to find other places that will take your used items and recycle, repurpose, or resell them to avoid creating further waste. With a little research and a little thought it is easy to part with items and feel good about it in the process.

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

Freecycle It!

We can recycle most plastics and papers, glass and cans, but what about those big items you have starting to collect in closets or the garage? How do you get rid of those in a “green” way? One solution is to Freecycle it! Most cities these days have a Yahoo Group set up for Freecycle. You can usually Google search your town’s name and the word Freecycle and find it. Joining the group is free and puts you in contact with many other people in your local community who care about the earth just as much as you do and don’t want to see it getting junked up.

The idea behind Freecycle is that you post your unwanted material and others who want it will be able to come pick it up – freely. It is a way to recycle or repurpose goods that you no longer want.

My family has been using Freecycle for over two years now and we have been able to give away everything from stacks of scrap paper to plastic baby food containers, to a lawn edger – all to people who then took the materials and used them for different purposes (the baby food containers were used for crafting, the paper went to an elementary school teacher for her students to write on, and the edger was fixed up by a guy who desperately needed one for his lawn). Not having to just dump these items in a landfill made us not only feel good inside but it also made us feel better about helping the immediate environment in which we live.

Freecycle is a great resource to use for both giving and receiving – I’m certain you will love it!

Copyright ©  2009, Becki, Green Christian Network, All Rights Reserved

               

Green Tip – (07/01/09) – Borrow

A great way to reduce is to borrow! Instead of buying new books, movies and CD’s, visit your local library and check them out. You can also borrow or swap with a friend. More options would be to download music from places like iTunes and renting movies from places like Netflix. Buying items like these from yard sales is also a great idea to reduce. Make the most of what you and others have. You can have monthly swaps of entertainment for the environment!

Reuse. Recycle. Reduce.

One green choice at a time makes all the difference for God’s planet!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!

               

Reduce Your Trash

Trash is a huge issue for the environment. Dumps are overflowing and there are not enough landfills to keep all of the trash we make. It does not have to be that way. We can reduce the amount of trash we create by changing a few things we do.

Tips to reduce trash

• Buy Less. Only get what you need.
• Pay attention to Packaging. Go for minimal packaged products.
• Reuse paper. If only one side or half of it has been used. Use the rest. Make sure it is well used before throwing away.
• Baggies. Reuse plastic sandwich baggies. All sizes. Wash. Rinse. Use. Repeat.
• Glass Jars. Reuse them as pen holders, for food leftovers, storing buttons and such or anything else you can think to use a jar for.
• Cards. Birthday and holiday cards can be reused as well. Simply cut them into small tags to reuse on future gifts.
• Gift Bags. When you get a gift bag. Reuse it.
• Newspapers and Magazines. Use old issues to line drawers, litter boxes, etc.
• Clothes. Donate them to homeless shelters or resell them at second hand shops. If they are too old and worn, make rags out of them.
• Try and Fix it. If something breaks, see if it is salvage before you toss it. It may just need a minor fix.
• Have a Yard Sale. Your trash may be someone else’s treasure. Plus you can make a few bucks while helping the environment.
• Freecycle. Give it a way. Someone may need or want what you would like to toss.
• Recycle. Get on your towns recycling pick up list. If you cannot figure out a way to reuse some stuff at least recycle it.

These ideas are only meant to get your mind working and thinking. We need to be aware of the trash we create. Landfills are growing and we are running out of space for all the trash that we create. We need to start making a difference now, before our kids and grandchildren are left with a trash infested planet!

Copyright © Green Christian Network

Stay Green!